They have brilliant overtones for a full, resonant tone, a quick response for better articulation, and excellent pitch stability and intonation, even for clarinet. Best of all, they have the same woody tone as cane but with better projection. Fibracell reeds even have the same weight and stiffness as cane (cane floats and so does Fibracell!) but they last up to 4 times longer with no unplayable reeds and aren't affected by heat or humidity. With their high strength and long-lasting durability, they're less likely to give out on you in the middle of a performance, too.

What is Fibracell?

Fibracell is a sophisticated composite of aerospace materials designed to exactly duplicate the way nature constructs the cane that goes into the very best cane reeds. Very stiff but sound-absorbing Kevlar fibers are suspended in a lightweight rosin using extremely exacting production standards. Each reed is precisely machined and trimmed for a consistently perfect shape, so you get the same reed time and time again.

I'm a former band director who now just plays for fun at church and in our community. (Not a great player, but have fun with it!) I had previously purchased a fibracell reed in a 2.5, but it just wasn't firm enough. I ordered this (fibracell 4) instead, and it was just what the doctor ordered. It came in very promptly, and in time for a solo gig downtown at our Christmas festival. I love that it seemed to hold up forever (better than my chops did!), didn't need to be moistened, and was firm enough to keep a good sound throughout the length of the horn. I've always HATED plastic reeds, and LOVE this one!

If it didn't play so flat and could sustain a note without dying, this would be a very good reed. I've also had difficulty playing my saxophone's full range (especially the lowest notes). Maybe I just got a bad one, but for now, I'm sticking with my cane reeds. I bought some Vandoren V16s out of my frustration with this one, and the difference in playability is like night and day!Comes in a nice little plastic case for extra protection. The material used looks and feels like a cane reed, and it doesn't need any warm-up time.The quality of the material is good and durable, but it plays so flat that I have to press my mouthpiece on all the way just to make it play in tune. And maybe it's just me, but I can't sustain a note for more than a couple seconds before it muffles out and dies. I've never had that problem with any other reed, natural or synthetic.Considering the trouble I've had, I can't say it's a good value. It's made to last a lot longer than natrual reeds, so if it actually played right, the value would be a lot better.

I own 2 of these soprano reeds, and 4 of the tenor reeds.I can not give enough praise on their tenor reeds, but their soprano reeds leave much to be desired from!The build quality of fibracell is outstanding, as well as their endurance, makes this an excellent practice reed!They also blow very easily.But the sound sounds too sharp!Compared to my wooden reeds, this reed really sounds plastic, something you can't hear on the tenors!I guess the reed is too thin, and too small, for the wood fibers to have an effect on the sound.Nevertheless it's ok for practice.Also, the difference between a 1.5 and a 4.5 reed is minimal; almost unnoticeable (unlike wooden reeds where the strength of a reed really makes a difference!I currently have replaced my reeds with wooden reeds, and only use these reeds to rehearse tonal ladders and chops in my room.It sounds awful, but have not yet tried it in the band.

I've been playing on the same Fibracell #1 reed since July 2010. I've probably dropped the mouthpiece 25 times with the reed attached. The tip once got bent at nearly a 90 degree angle, and I just bent it right back into shape and kept playing. I believe that says enough about the quality and performance of this reed.As for the sound, some find these objectionable due to their brightness. But is it really the reed, or their setup? My friends and I tie these onto Otto Links with pieces of hemp twine. The resultant tone is dark and smooth enough for us to intonate our entire horn section using a guitar tuner. Go try to do that now with your setup, and have fun. Haha!I recommend these without reservations.

I've played Fibracell reeds on my straight soprano semi-professionally for a few years, and they've never let me down. The tone is rich and woody, and I find that they last for more than a dozen gigs at least. Very predictable response, never warps or changes with humidity or temperature. Definitely a great product.